It's not spectacular, but it's not terrible either. It could probably have used a little more contrast between the blue and the small silver bits, like the little spots on the outside of the doors.
The missile launcher inside is magnetized, so I can swap in the storm bolter when needed. It's a little fiddly, and the storm bolter tends to snag on the magnet, making it a bitch to get out.
I'm also a masochistic bastard and I went ahead and painted hazard stripes using Ron's tutorial over at From the Warp to start. I didn't paint the whole section yellow, just the individual sections, and then I cut back in with black.
Since I only have one pod so far, this one will likely carry an assassin-style unit. Sternguard to take out an infantry unit or monster, an Ironclad to run roughshod down a flank, etc. With all the damned tau behind Aegis lines in my local area, a Dread with two heavy flamers (one twin linked, one on the end of a DCCW) might work nicely. Even a tooled up Command Squad might work.
My next vehicular project will be a Vindicator. I had traded for an old Forgeworld Vindicator kit quite some time ago. It's pretty much identical to the current GW kit, but doesn't have the side armor plating. I'm not sure if I should buy the side armor bitz online or not. They'll run me about $10 shipped, and I'm not sure they're crucial to the look of the tank. The calling card of the Vindicator is the siege shield, not the side armor.
I've not put a Vindicator on the table in a very long time. Maybe the dawn of 5th/end of 4th Edition? I had an old, secondhand metal Vindicator that I was fixing up. I stalled out on it when I switched to a bike-heavy force, and sold the parts. I remember really enjoying using the Vindicator, as it's the biggest, baddest weapon in the Marine arsenal. I have a glowing memory of exploding a Necron Monolith with my beat-to-hell Vindicator back when Monoliths were nigh unkillable.
I've also started putting paint on my Company Champion. Infantry feel like they'll fly by as compared to weeks-or-months-long vehicle projects.
Nice job. I really like the chevron markings. They are a chore to do but look great if you can get it right, which you did. Maybe a brighter metallic the next time if you want to get more contrast in there, though it looks good now.
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take to paint the pod? It strikes me as a model that takes way more time to finish than expected.
Thanks. The stripes definitely take some patience, but it felt alike a huge accomplishment when I finished them.
DeleteI started fiddling with the pod back in January, but didn't really put any solid effort into it til a few weeks ago. It sat in sub-assemblies on my desk for quite some time before I did anything beyond primer. If I'd sat down and worked on it to the exclusion of all else, I could probably have one done in a week or two. The problem is, it's an extremely boring model to paint.
The interior harness structure is all metallic with a tiny bit of freehand on the dome. The fins are just metallic and blue. The doors are the same. Unless you really want to do weathering, it's a total snooze to paint.
I find all vehicles boring to paint, at least Imperial ones. Chaos has the whole flesh/metal meld thing going on that makes it more interesting, if more time consuming. Lots of flat surfaces with few interesting details is not an enjoyable project.
DeleteI've been doodling on paper in an attempt to figure out how to do freehand "carved/chiseled" text on flat hulls. That way I can add cool panels to my tanks, kind of like that Marneus Calgar Land raider they use in all the Marine codexes.
DeleteNot worth it for a drop pod though, because as soon as it hits the table, all that work is covered up when the doors open!
I love the yellow markings, as it harkens back to the classic 'Eavy Metal scheme of old. They look good over all, but you made me laugh when you said you magnetized the missile launcher. Why on earth would you go with the storm bolter?
ReplyDeleteBecause the missile launcher is ten points extra! Plus it can't fire on the turn it lands, because it's a Blast weapon. :(
DeleteThat's basically the counter-argument I've heard in the past, but a snap-shotting storm bolter is going to do around zero wounds anyway--might as well upgrade to the blast template and kill something.
DeleteThen again, I'm a sucker for blast templates.
I think it depends a lot on what you're delivering in the pod, and where you intend to deliver it.
DeleteIf you're delivering infantry, you run the risk of blasting yourself with the launcher due to scatter. The weapon only has a 12" range, but thankfully the strength of the weapon isn't sufficient to harm the pod itself. The same can't be said for your Marines.
If you're delivering a Dreadnought, you should be safe.
The other issue I have with them is that your own units can block placement of the template, making the pod unable to shoot. If I have a squad of tacticals or a shooty Dread pop out 6" and rapid fire or otherwise blast the enemy, there's a solid chance that I won't be able to place my Deathwind template on the victim unit because my Marines/Dread are too close. A smart opponent without an escape route will actually move their unit closer to mine in their turn to make the shot impossible.
I do like them for flexibility of options though. If you're playing a mission where it's advantageous to keep some units at home, you can drop their pods empty with the launchers and fire without much care.